Nick Begich wants a return “normalcy” in Republican politics in the nation’s capitol, and a chance to fight for responsible resource development in Alaska.
Begich is one of the leading Republicans, along with Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, hoping to unseat Democrat Mary Peltola in the US House of Representatives.
Peltola swung through Sitka two weeks ago, but didn’t make time for local media. Begich didn’t visit in person, but he did reach out to KCAW and spoke with Robert Woolsey.
Note: The Alaska Congressional Primary is Tuesday, August 20. Polls are open throughout the state. In Sitka, polls are open until 8 p.m. at Harrigan Centennial Hall. It’s an open primary: Everyone, regardless of political party, votes the same ballot. The top four candidates will appear on the general election ballot in November. Because of its small population, Alaska elects only one member to the US House of Representatives. They will serve a two-year term.
There’s also a primary election for our local House district in the Alaska Legislature. In most of KCAW’s listening area, voters will see only one candidate on the ballot, incumbent Rebecca Himschoot, who is running unopposed for reelection.
Begich is one of the most familiar names in Alaskan politics. The first Nick Begich – the current Nick Begich’s grandfather – was Alaska’s congressman for two years, until his death in a plane crash in 1972. He was a Democrat. So are Nick Begich’s two uncles, Mark, who was a U.S. Senator, and Tom, who most recently was senate majority leader in the Alaska Legislature.
Nick Begich’s father, Nick Jr., wasn’t involved in politics, so this Nick Begich had a different sort of upbringing. After his parents separated, he grew up with his maternal grandparents.
“I was raised in a conservative household, and grew up with those values, grew up Republican,” he said. “So I have been a conservative from the start. We moved back to Alaska about 20 years ago, and have lived here ever since.”
Begich and his wife returned to Alaska from Detroit, Michigan, expecting to remain just a couple of years. But – like so many with this story – they decided to stay and make it permanent.
Now he’s picking up the Republican banner once carried by Rep. Don Young, who succeeded his grandfather in the US House and served 49 years until his death two years ago. Peltola took the seat back for Democrats, and now Begich wants it back for Republicans. But he also wants to get things done, and that means stepping away from the polarization and obstructionism that has recently dominated Republican politics. He thinks another Republican contender in the primary election, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, is on the same page.
“I think both candidates want to see sort of normalcy restored at the national level and get some of our excess government spending back under control,” said Begich.
Begich hits the expected Republican talking points – that inflation has hurt the country, that irresponsible government spending is to blame, but it’s unusual to hear a Republican confront the dysfunctional politics of late. I asked him to elaborate.
“The political environment has gotten so caustic that we’re forgetting that we’re all in the same boat together,” he said. “We’re all Americans. Yes, we’re not going to agree all the time, and that’s never been true. We’ve never agreed all the time. But what is different about yesterday versus today is that while we did disagree, we were able to go out afterward and have dinner together, have a drink together, and respect one another. And I think we need to get back to that kind of normalcy again.”
Normalcy for Begich also means a government that works in the background, and isn’t in the forefront of our daily lives.
Begich is 46 years old, a small business owner, who believes that his youth, relative to other Republican contenders, will give him a long “runway” in the US House, and a chance to build seniority and influence much like Don Young in his prime – to Alaska’s benefit. He thinks Mary Peltola, the incumbent Democrat, has to walk a tightrope to conform to the Democratic agenda, while still supporting resource development in Alaska. Begich, on the other hand, says he’ll be an “unapologetic evangelist” for the responsible development of Alaska’s resources – especially in the evolving global market.
“We’ve seen a large push nationally to move to things like electric vehicles and more electrification around the nation,” said Begich, “but the but the minerals and the inputs for so many of those technologies are coming straight out of Communist China. And for us to trade our domestic energy security, mineral security, even national security, for security that’s provided by a foreign adversary, I think is a strategic mistake. It’s not in our interest in the long run, and we know for a fact that we do a better job developing those resources in the United States. Why not re-establish those supply chains here at home, where we know that will be done responsibly and well?”
Begich has ideas and talking points about issues important to Southeast Alaska, like fisheries, tourism, and affordable housing, but we agreed to save those until after the August 20 primary – if he makes it through. There are 12 candidates vying for the chance to serve Alaska in the US House of Representatives, four of them will advance through the primary to the general election in November.
And if he’s one of those four, an actual campaign visit to Sitka is more likely. Like many, he’s a fan of the Nugget pie at the airport. “The strawberry-rhubarb is amazing,” he said.
